WAYS TO USE SHIPS AS A DUNGEON PART 1

 JESSE COHOON 

 

 June 19, 2017 

Ships as dungeons is an interesting challenge because they are mobile, limited in size, and waterborne. Expanding some definitions, however, can lead to a variety of possibilities you may not have thought of.

1. Redefine What A Ship Is

A ship doesn’t have to be this thing that floats on water. Maybe it’s an elven airship that sails through the skies or a submarine that inhabits the depths. Or perhaps it could be a dwarven ship that sails through solid stone in the Elemental plane of Earth or is the deceased hull of what used to be a dragon turtle.
Other options are to have the ship on lava or traveling within ley lines in your world’s magic system or even in space.
In cases like these, the players would be stuck on the ship until they could figure out how or where to exit

2. Examine Different Types Of Ships

There’s always the classic haunted pirate ship. But even these can be changed up by rearranging the levels and having hidden passages. Why not set a dungeon on a giant version of a Viking ship?
Or have the dungeon be an old-fashioned paddle wheel steamboat, a cargo ship, or a prison ship. If you don’t mind borrowing from modern day, consider a cruise ship or a canal ship as a location.

3. Consider Expanding The Location In Unique Ways

In Zelda: Skyward Sword, there are these items called “time stones” that shift a portion of the level back and forth through time.
Another way you could expand the location is to have the ship occupy two or more dimensions simultaneously, and the players have to shift from one to another to get to different places in the ship.
A third way to expand the location is for parts to have different gravity rules, but under different circumstances, so players never know whether or not they’ll be affected.
Finally, there could be different areas to explore, depending on the character’s size. Maybe part of the ship needs to be explored while they’re the size of an ant.

5. Consider Different Races

In designing a ship as a location, think not only of standard fantasy races but variations of them. For instance, you might have a group of Avariel (winged elves) who are sailing above the treetops, or tinker gnomes, with their penchant for all things mechanical, in some sort of steam-driven airship, and wearing magic-punk collapsible hang gliders that allow them to rain death from above.
Or you might have powrie (bloody cap dwarves) who use their heat-proof barrel boats in lava.
Also think of other intelligent races that might want to travel, but may not wish or be able to travel to a location normally. For instance, you might have dragons that have starships, beholders who sail within the ley lines, or lizardmen who explore the deep in submarines.

5. Consider The Reason For The Dungeon To Be There

Ask yourself “what’s the story behind why this is here?”
Stumped for answers? Consider the following ideas:

§  Protection of a magical item. The dungeon moves around because it protects a magic item that, if it fell into the wrong hands, would mean the end of the world. The creatures and traps are a test of merit. Those who fail are not worthy of the ultimate treasure.

§  Lost in time. In Zelda: Skyward Sword, the ship dungeon was lost to the annals of time, the area gradually became desert, and the ship fell into disrepair.

§  Consider the opening sequence as narrated by James T Kirk: “Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

§  A prison. Maybe everyone and everything on this ship is there to keep something inside, and others out. Maybe the traps, automated guards, etc. are the ship’s defenses to prevent the criminal’s escape.

§  Creative genius. The dungeon might be a ship because the person (or people) building it simply could. They wanted to challenge others with their creativity, but also wanted to make it a challenge to even get there, so they made it.

§  The result of an experiment gone bad. Similar to the prison scenario, the magic or science experiment is too dangerous to remain free in the general sense of the term, so it was put into this ship and set adrift. It could be free as in the case of the Minotaur wandering its maze, but in this case the experiment would be wandering the ship.

6. Change the circumstances on the ship

A ship that’s afire is a vastly different experience than one that is sitting in a calm sea. As can a violent storm that tosses it about. Adding hazards of smoke, rotting wood, cold, low light conditions, or radiation can totally change the character’s experience, as can being underwater, in the vacuum of space, in an active volcano, and so on

76 Types of ships (taken from Wikipedia)

1.      Aircraft Carrier: Naval vessel able to launch and retrieve airplanes.

2.      Barque: A sailing vessel with three or more masts, fore-and-aft rigged on only the aftermost.

3.      Barquentine: A sailing vessel with three or more masts, square-rigged only on the foremast.

4.      Battlecruiser:A lightly armoured battleship.

5.      Battleship: A large, heavily armoured and heavily gunned warship. A term which generally post-dates sailing warships.

6.      Bilander: a small European merchant ship with two masts – used in the Netherlands for coast and canal traffic and occasionally seen in the North Sea but more frequently to be seen in the Mediterranean Sea

7.      Bireme: An ancient vessel, propelled by two banks of oars.

8.      Birlinn: a wooden vessel propelled by sail and oar, used extensively in the Hebrides and West Highlands of Scotland from the Middle Ages

9.      Blockade runner: A ship whose current business is to slip past a blockade.

10.  Boita: A cargo vessel used for trade between Eastern India and Indochina.

11.  Brig: A two-masted, square-rigged vessel.

12.  Brigantine: A two-masted vessel, square-rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft rigged on the main.

13.  Caravel: A much smaller, two, sometimes three-masted ship.

14.  Carrack: a three- or four-masted ocean-going sailing ship and was developed in the 14th and 15th centuries in Europe. Developed from the single-masted cog, the carrack was first used for European trade from the Mediterranean to the Baltic. In its most advanced forms, it was used by the Portuguese for trade with the African coast and finally with Asia and America from the 15th century before evolving into the galleon of the 16th and 17th centuries.

15.  Cartel: A small boat used to negotiate between enemies.

16.  Catboat: A sailing vessel characterized by a single mast carried well forward (i.e., near the bow of the boat).

17.  Clipper: A fast multiple-masted sailing ship, generally used by merchants because of their speed capabilities.

18.  Cog: a type of ship that first appeared in the 10th century, and was widely used from around the 12th century on. Cogs were generally built of oak, which was an abundant timber in the Baltic region of Prussia

19.  Collier: A vessel designed for the coal trade.

20.  Corvette: A small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate.

21.  Cruise Ship: A ship that is designed to bring people to different ports on a vacation

22.  Cruiser: A warship that is larger than a destroyer, but smaller than a battleship.

23.  Cutter: Several types of fast, modest-sized boats

24.  Destroyer: A warship mainly used for anti-submarine warfare and escort duties.

25.  Dreadnought: An early twentieth century type of battleship.

26.  Drekar: A Viking longship with sails and oars.

27.  Dromons: Ancient precursors to galleys.

28.  East Indiaman: An armed merchantman belonging to one of the East India companies (Dutch, British etc.)

29.  Faering: A type of Viking open rowboat

30.  Felucca: A traditional Arab type of sailing vessel

31.  Fire ship: A vessel of any sort, set on fire and sent into an anchorage with the aim of causing consternation and destruction. The idea is generally that of forcing an enemy fleet to put to sea in a confused, therefore vulnerable state. Conversely, also a ship where a funeral pyre was lit.

32.  Flüte: A sailing warship used as a transport, with a reduced armament

33.  Fluyt: A Dutch-made vessel from the Golden Age of Sail, with multiple decks and usually three square-rigged masts, usually used for merchant purposes.

34.  Frigate: A term used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries.

35.  Galleass: A sailing and rowing warship, equally well suited to sailing and rowing.

36.  Galleon: A sixteenth century sailing warship.

37.  Galley: A warship propelled by oars with a sail for use in a favourable wind.

38.  Galliot: several types of ships —

§  Mediterranean, (16th century–17th century): a type of ship with oars, also known as a half-galley, then, from the 17th century forward, a ship with sails and oars. As used by the Barbary pirates against the Republic of Venice, a galiot had two masts and about 16 pairs of oars. Warships of the type typically carried 2 – 10 small caliber cannons, and between 50 and 150 men.

§  North Sea (17th century–19th century)” a type of Dutch or German 20 to 400 GRT trade ship, similar to a ketch, with a rounded fore and aft like a fluyt. They had nearly flat bottoms to sail in shallow waters. These ships were especially favored for coastal navigation in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. To avoid excessive leeway, or leeward drift due to their flat bottoms, smaller vessels were usually fitted with leeboards. After 1830, a modernized type of galiot was developed that featured a sharper bow similar to a schooner. These vessels rarely had leeboards.

§  Naval ships (17th century–19th century) a French term for a type of naval warship that might have two masts with lateen sails and a bank of oars. It might also be relatively small with only one mast, and be little more than a large chaloupe or launch.

A galiote a bombes was a French term for a galiote armed with a mortar and
functioning as a bomb vessel, i.e., a vessel armed to shell coastal forts, towns, and the
like.

40.  Gunboat: a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies

41.  Ironclad: A wooden warship with external iron plating.

42.  Junk: A Chinese sailing ship

43.  Karve: A small type of Viking longship

44.  Knarr: A large type of Viking cargo ship, fit for Atlantic crossings

45.  Liberty ship: An American merchant ship of the late Second World War period, designed for rapid building in large numbers. (The earliest class of welded ships.)

46.  Longship: A Viking raiding ship

47.  Man-of-war: A sailing warship.

48.  Mistico: Small, fast two or three-masted Mediterranean sailing vessel.

49.  Monitor: A small, very heavily gunned warship with shallow draft. Designed for coastal operations.

50.  Nef: A large medieval sailing ship

51.  Paddle steamer: A steam-propelled, paddle-driven vessel, a name commonly applied to nineteenth century excursion steamers.

52.  Pantserschip: A Dutch ironclad. By the end of the nineteenth century, the name was applied to a heavy gunboat designed for colonial service.

53.  Penteconter: An ancient warship propelled by 50 oars, 25 on each side.

54.  Pink (or Pinque): One of two different types of boats.

§  The first was a small, flat-bottomed ship with a narrow stern; the name derived from the Italian word pinco. It was used primarily in the Mediterranean Sea as a cargo ship.

§  In the Atlantic Ocean the word pink was used to describe any small ship with a narrow stern, having derived from the Dutch word pincke. They had a large cargo capacity, and were generally square rigged. Their flat bottoms (and resulting shallow draught) made them more useful in shallow waters than some similar classes of ship. They were most often used for short-range missions in protected channels, as both merchantmen and warships.

55.  Pram: A small dinghy, originally of a clinker construction and called in English, as in Danish, a praam. The Danish orthography has changed so that it would now be a pråm in its original language. It has a transom at both ends, the forward one usually small and steeply raked in the traditional design.

56.  Pre-dreadnought: A type of battleship of the late 19th century to early 20th century, characterized by having a mixed offensive battery, in contrast to the “all-big-gun” Dreadnought type battleships.

57.  Q-ship: A commerce raider camouflaged as a merchant vessel.

58.  Quinquereme: An ancient warship propelled by three banks of oars. On the upper row three rowers hold one oar, on the middle row – two rowers, and on the lower row – one man to an oar.

59.  Raft: a primitive ship made of logs and often held together by rope or vines.

60.  Schooner: A fore and aft-rigged vessel with two or more masts of which the foremast is shorter than the main.

61.  Settee: Single-decked, single or double-masted Mediterranean cargo vessel carrying a settee sail.

62.  Shallop: A large, heavily built, sixteenth-century boat. Fore-and-aft rigged. More recently it has been a poetically frail open boat.

63.  Ship of the line: A sailing warship of first, second or third rate. That is, with 64 or more guns. Before the late eighteenth century, fourth rates (50-60 guns) also served in the line of battle.

64.  Slave ship: A cargo boat specially converted to transport slaves.

65.  Sloop: A fore and aft-rigged sailing vessel with a single mast.

66.  Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH): A modern ship design used for Research Vessels and other purposes needing a steady ship in rough seas.

67.  Snow A small sailing ship, with a fore mast, a main mast and a trysail mast behind the main. Sometimes armed as a warship with two to ten guns.

68.  Steamship: A ship propelled by a steam engine.

69.  Submarine: A ship designed to travel underwater.

70.  Torpedo boat: A small, fast surface vessel designed for launching torpedoes.

71.  Trabaccolo: A type of Mediterranean sailing coastal vessel.

72.  Tramp steamer: A steamer which takes on cargo when and where it can find it.

73.  Trireme: An ancient warship propelled by three banks of oars.

74.  Victory ship: a class of cargo ship

75.  Xebec or Zebec: a Mediterranean sailing ship that was used mostly for trading. It would have a long overhanging bowsprit and aft-set mizzen mast. The term can also refer to a small, fast vessel of the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, used almost exclusively in the Mediterranean Sea.

76.  Yoal or ness yoal, traditional clinker-built Shetland rowing boat with auxiliary sail

 

//////////

GM RESOURCESPLANAR MYSTERIES

WAYS TO USE SHIPS AS A DUNGEON, PART 2

 JESSE COHOON 

 

 June 26, 2017 

Last time we talked about ways a ship can be used as a dungeon. Let’s expand the topic and talk ship purposes, ship related plots, and ship quirks. Enjoy!

Six Ship Purposes

First, consider why the vessel was commissioned or built. That decision raises a few question to help you add more detail and flavor.

1.      Entertainment: What features make it viable for that? Does it have an entertainment deck complete with a stage for performers? A swimming pool? A gambling area? A shuffleboard deck? A video lounge?

2.      War: Is it built for spying on the enemy, for making quick strafing attacks, or is it the fleet’s core, heavily armored with large cannons but slow moving?

3.      Prison: What is being locked away and why is it so dangerous it can’t be let out?

4.      Harvester: If it exists to gather needed materials what is it gathering and why? Why is a ship an ideal method of transport?

5.      Transport: What type of material support is it carrying? Food? Rebuilding teams for aid? Medicine to stop the plague?

6.      Exploration: What is it exploring and why? Is it trying to get treasure from exotic locales? Discover more of the world, galaxy, or universe for the sake of knowledge?

Twenty Ship Plot Seeds

Ships don’t always have to be waiting at the dock. Put them in dynamic situations.

1.      The Pretorian, drilling for oil far beneath the ocean floor, has somehow opened up an intra-dimensional rift. Cthulhu-esque creatures are spilling out, attacking the rig and endangering the lives of those aboard. It’s up to the crew to figure out how to close the rift and get back to the business of drilling for oil.

2.      A working-dog-driven paddleboat, appropriately named the Dog Paddle, is going up and down the river to promote awareness of the abuse of working animals. While dogs power the boat, they are well treated, cared for, and loved as pets.

3.      The fear-powered spaceship, the Terror, has appeared in the skies over Earth. Its yellow-ringed Sinestro Corps crew are hoping for a glut of power as they frighten earth’s populace. They will then spread that despair throughout the universe.

4.      The gnomish clockwork steam engine dirigible, the Kelpos, is exploring new areas of the world. The crew is a mix of races with a variety of skills, headed up by Jefan Grazbel, the ship’s main engineer. Unbeknownst to them, the ship’s arrival has upset delicate negotiations between neighboring barbarian tribes of difference races, each thinking the other has summoned outside help in the form of the airship. If the crew doesn’t straighten out the inhabitants, the fragile peace will dissolve into complete war.

5.      The Kanamits’ energy-powered flying saucer the Servitor sails through the vast emptiness of space. It is an exploration and food gathering vessel come to Earth to harvest…humanity. Will mankind fight back against the aliens who ended many of Earth’s greatest woes and take up their technology? Or will they become another entrée for the Kanamits?

6.      A space faring race made up of various catlike peoples has landed in an area similar to ancient Egypt to mine cats eye stones to fuel their pyramid-shaped spaceships. To do this they set themselves up as gods and enslave the natives to do their bidding. Unfortunately, after many years of oppression, a slave uprising is in the works.

7.      The interconnected mass of sailing ships of the People of the Dust on the Silt Sea drift aimlessly, seeking treasure from ships whose crews have died and risen as undead. Their victims are none too happy their ships are ransacked and their rest disturbed by trespassers.

8.      The Baleck, a D’deridex-class Imperial Romulan Warbird powered by an artificial quantum singularity reactor, is patrolling in the Neutral Zone during a relatively peaceful time when it receives a distress call from the Imperial Klingon Ship the Ch’Tongu. The crew needs to decide whether or not the distress signal is a trap to cause an intergalactic incident or genuine request for aid.

9.      A mysterious 14th century galley ship is piloted by the original crew, cursed by the sea witch Marian the Soul-Taker never to die. Her crew seeks to find a way to end their curse without spreading their ailment to those who cross their path.

10.  The nuclear-powered submarine, the Destiny’s Manifest, is exploring the Marianas Trench when its crew discovers a new species of fish. As they go deeper and deeper they are pushing the marine craft past its safety limits.

11.  Galactus’ cosmic energy-powered Worldship, the Taa II, is approaching earth with The Devourer of Worlds on it. What can our heroes do to dissuade him from sating his hunger using the planet Earth as a snack?

12.  The dilithium crystal-powered USS Firedrake, NCC-787543, has received word of a medical plague in the Dagnius System which they happen to have ability to replicate the cure for. Unfortunately, to reach the system in time to put their replicators to use they’ll have to violate the Federation’s directive and exceed warp 5.

13.  A group of space pirates called the Dark Force pillages worlds from their ship the Penumbra, capturing other races to be made into slaves. Their real purpose is much more sinister…to take the life force of their slaves and sell it to the highest bidders for crom, the universal currency.

14.  China developed an experimental cold fusion ship that can travel at sub-light speeds as a high orbit vehicle, move three times faster on water than any other ship and twice as fast when submerged. It can descend to depths of 100,000 fathoms without pressure damage or decompression problems. It’s also undetectable through radar. American spies have stolen the ship and are attempting to get it into American waters where they’ll be protected and this new technology can be analyzed.

15.  The sentient wood-powered elven airship the Laurëa Mallorn sails atop the trees of their homeland with feathery extensions that grasp the treetops gently, gliding it forward. Its crew is having an enjoyable day when in the distance the see smoke. They must reach the source before the whole forest burns down, destroying their homeland.

16.  The long-dead crew of the Viking longship, the Protector, return to life when someone desecrates and robs their burial grounds. They seek out the transgressors and punish them for their audacity.

17.  The volcano-powered dwarven flying mountain fortress the Incorruptible patrols their lands for trouble and acts as a strategic meeting point for all of the generals of their land-based fortresses. An enemy has gotten aboard and the crew must defend it from being taken over.

18.  An interstellar traveling city-ship called the Kutox carries the remnants of the Frenis as they flee the evil life form called Droggs, whose eons-long war has driven all but a few of the ancient magical race to extinction.

19.  The air elemental-powered military airship, the Turbine, overlooks the city-state of Quaymire and carries its ruler. The populace isn’t happy with the dictatorship and is planning ways to bring it down.

20.  An intergalactic spaceship containing a race of peacekeepers, the Treaty, has come to Earth to try to get man to listen to the cause of peace. Will their efforts fall on deaf ears during times of war?

Thirty Ship Quirks

Make each ship a little different by adding a small quality.

1.      Alive: it thinks but only has unintelligent (plantlike) or animalistic instincts, and the ship’s crew often serves more as handlers than as pilots.

2.      Sentient: can think and communicate talk intelligently.

3.      Healing: the ship can heal itself through means technological, organic, or magical.

4.      Slow weapons: it takes a long time to charge weapons for firing

5.      Fragile: the ship is easily damaged.

6.      Fast: this ship is speedy because of fuel type, special engine, or construction.

7.      Intermittent: ship only functions when it wants to.

8.      Old: outdated technology, peeling paint, leaks, prone to breakdowns.

9.      Constant maintenance: works well when properly maintained, but this takes up much of the crew’s time.

10.  Unusual controls: untrained pilots will have a difficult (or impossible) time piloting the ship.

11.  Odd odor: when inside the ship, it has an unusual odor that you can’t quite place.

12.  Signature presence: the ship is always known by some telltale sign – exhaust, leakage, something that causes others to know it has been there.

13.  Heavily armored: the ship has more armor than others of the same type.

14.  Adaptable: the ship is designed to handle the roughest of conditions.

15.  Slow: the ship slogs along steadily, but makes up for it in passenger, storage, or weapons capacity.

16.  Cramped quarters: the ship’s other features take priority over crew comfort.

17.  Weird fuel source: the ship can’t simply go to the corner gas station and get a fill up. You need something special or even dangerous to make it work.

18.  Standard design: anyone with a schematic of the ship can hack into it and cause it to do things the crew doesn’t want it to do.

19.  Cloaking: The ship can disguise itself as another type of ship or become invisible.

20.  Military Carrier: carries military vessels that can launch from it while in transit.

21.  Drifting: the ship has no real means of propulsion, relying on the environment to move it.

22.  Juking: the ship is harder to target accurately because it doesn’t stay put.

23.  Transformer: the ship can change to another form such as a giant robot or an animal, possibly combining with others to create a larger form.

24.  Experimental: the ship has new, untested technology.

25.  Unidentified: it has no name or registration.

26.  Unusual construction: ship is made from non-standard material such as ice, fire, special polymers, or cloth.

27.  Difficult to fix: if damaged the ship takes many hours of repair or special materials to fix properly.

28.  Unusual propulsion: the ship is powered by animals, clockwork, solar power, chemical reactions, or energy directly obtained through life forms drive it.

29.  Magical: there’s magical protection or other attribute built into the ship itself.

30.  Sturdy: hard to bring down or immobilize due to its multiple backup systems, engines, or weapons, and it might need to be destroyed in combat a section at a time.

Using these ideas can help you to use ships as a dungeon more effectively.

Thank you for reading my article, let me know what you think by liking, commenting, and resharing.

 

/////////

USING SHIPS AS A DUNGEON, PART 3

 JESSE COHOON 

 

 July 3, 2017 

Last time we examined ship purposes, ship based plots, and ship quirks. This time we’ll look at the different parts of the ship, a ship template, and water hazard examples.

Ship Related Words

1.      Abaft: toward or at the stern of a ship; further aft

2.      Affreightment: hiring of a vessel

3.      Aft: in or toward the back part of a ship or airplane

4.      Afterdeck: deck behind a ship’s bridge

5.      Afterguard: men who work the aft sails on the quarterdeck and poop deck

6.      Ahull: with sails furled and helm lashed to the lee-side

7.      Amidships: in the middle part of a ship

8.      Astern: at the stern of a ship

9.      Backstay: stay extending from ship’s mastheads to the side of the ship

10.  Ballaster: one who supplies ships with ballast

11.  Bargemaster: owner of a barge

12.  Bay: an area in an airplane or a ship that is used for carrying goods or equipment

13.  Beam: the widest part of a ship from one side to the other

14.  Bee: hardwood on either side of bowsprit through which forestays are reeved

15.  Belay: to secure a rope by winding on a pin or cleat

16.  Berth: a bed on a train or ship

17.  Bilge: the bottom part of a boat

18.  Binnacle: case in which a ship’s compass is kept

19.  Bitts: posts mounted on a ship for fastening ropes

20.  Blade: one of the flat parts of a propeller that spins around and pushes a boat or airplane forward

21.  Bluepeter: blue flag with a white square in center used as ship’s signal

22.  Boatswain (bosun): ship’s crewmember in charge of equipment and maintenance

23.  Bobstay: rope used on ships to steady the bowsprit

24.  Bollard: short post on a wharf or ship to which ropes are tied

25.  Boltrope: strong rope stitched to edges of a sail

26.  Boom: a long pole fixed to the bottom of a boat’s sail, that is used for changing the direction of the sail

27.  Bottomry using the ship as collateral to finance a sea voyage

28.  Bow: front of a ship

29.  Bower: anchor carried at bow of a ship

30.  Bowline: rope used to keep weather edge of a sail taut

31.  Bowsprit: a long pole (spar) that sticks out from the front of a ship

32.  Brails: ropes on edge of sail for hauling up

33.  Bream: to clean a ship’s bottom by burning off seaweed

34.  Bridge: the part of a ship from which it is controlled

35.  Brig: a place on a ship where prisoners are kept

36.  Bulwark(s): the side of a ship above the deck

37.  Bumpkin: spar projecting from stern of ship

38.  Bunt: middle of sail, fish-net or cloth when slack

39.  Buntline: rope attached to middle of square sail to haul it up to the yard

40.  Burgee: small ship’s flag used for identification or signaling

41.  Cabin: a private room on a ship for a passenger or one of the people working on the ship

42.  Cable: heavy rope or chain for mooring a ship

43.  Cabotage: shipping and sailing between points in the same country

44.  Camber: slight arch or convexity to a beam or deck of a ship

45.  Capstan: upright device for winding in heavy ropes or cables, especially on a ship or at a port

46.  Careen: to turn a ship on its side in order to clean or repair it

47.  Catapult: a piece of equipment on a ship used for sending aircraft into the air

48.  Cathead: projection near the bow of a ship to which anchor is secured

49.  Chine: the intersection of the middle and sides of a boat

50.  Chock: metal casting with curved arms for passing ropes for mooring ship

51.  Cleat: a metal object that you tie a rope around in order to fasten something in place, especially on a ship

52.  Clew: corner of sail with hole to attach ropes

53.  Coaming: raised edge around ship’s hatches to keep water out

54.  Cocket: official shipping seal; customs clearance form

55.  Cockpit: the part of a boat where the controls are

56.  Cofferdam: narrow vacant space between two bulkheads of a ship

57.  Companionway: stairs from upper deck of ship to lower deck

58.  Conning: tower the part on top of a submarine from which the periscope sticks out

59.  Cordage: ropes in the rigging of a ship

60.  Cringle: loop at corner of sail to which a line is attached

61.  Crosstrees: horizontal crosspieces at a masthead used to support ship’s mast

62.  Crow’s nest: a place near the top of a ship’s mast where a sailor stands to look out over the ocean

63.  Davit: device for hoisting and lowering a boat

64.  Deadeye: rounded wooden block with hole used to set up ship’s stays

65.  Deadwood: timbers built into ends of ship when too narrow to permit framing

66.  Deck: one of the levels on a ship, train, or stadium

67.  Demurrage: delay of vessel’s departure or loading with cargo

68.  Dodger: shield against rain or spray on a ship’s bridge

69.  Dogwatch: a short, evening period of watch duty on a ship

70.  Downhaul: rope for holding down or hauling down a sail or spar

71.  Dyogram: ship’s chart indicating compass deflection due to ship’s iron

72.  Earing: line for fastening corner of a sail to the gaff or yard

73.  Ensign: large naval flag

74.  Escape hatch: a small door for escaping from a ship, aircraft, or submarine in an emergency

75.  Escutcheon part of ship’s stern where name is displayed

76.  Fairlead: ring through which rope is led to change its direction without friction

77.  Fardage: wood placed in bottom of ship to keep cargo dry

78.  Fender: a piece of rope or a tire that protects the side of a boat from knocks

79.  Fiddley: iron framework around hatchway opening

80.  Figurehead: a wooden model of a person attached to the front of an old-fashioned ship

81.  Flagstaff: flag pole at stern of a ship

82.  Flight deck: the open area on a large ship where aircraft can take off and land

83.  Fluke: part of an anchor that fastens in the ground

84.  Forebitt: post for fastening cables at a ship’s foremast

85.  Forecabin: cabin in fore part of ship

86.  Forecastle (fo’c’sle): the front part of a ship, under the main deck

87.  Forefoot: foremost end of ship’s keel

88.  Foremast: mast nearest the bow of a ship

89.  Foresail: lowest sail set on the foremast of square-rigged ship

90.  Forestay: stay leading from the foremast to the bow of a ship

91.  Frap: to draw a sail tight with ropes or cables

92.  Freeboard: distance between waterline and main deck of a ship

93.  Funnel (smokestack): a tube that lets out smoke and steam from the engine of a boat or old-fashioned train

94.  Futtock: rib of a ship

95.  Gaff: spar on which head of fore-and-aft sail is extended

96.  Gaff-topsail: triangular topsail with its foot extended upon the gaff

97.  Galley: the kitchen on a boat or airplane

98.  Gangplank: a long narrow board that you put between a boat and the land, or between two boats, so that you can walk across

99.  Gangway: a flat board or metal structure that can be put in place between a ship and land to let people get off or on the ship

100.  Garboard: plank on a ship’s bottom next to the keel

101.  Genoa: large jib that overlaps the mainsail

102.  Grapnel: small anchor used for dragging or grappling

103.  Groundage: a charge on a ship in port

104.  Gudgeon: metal socket into which the pintle of a boat’s rudder fits

105.  Gunnage: number of guns carried on a warship

106.  Gunwale (singular gunnel): the upper edge of the side of a boat or ship

107.  Gybe: to swing a sail from one side to another

108.  Halyard: rope or tackle for hoisting and lowering sails

109.  Hank: series of rings or clips for attaching a jib or staysail to a stay

110.  Hawse: distance between ship’s bow and its anchor

111.  Hawsehole: hole for ship’s cable

112.  Hawser: large rope for mooring or towing a ship

113.  Headsail: sail set forward of the foremast of a ship

114.  Helm: a wheel or handle used for making a boat go in the direction you want

115.  Hold: the area in an airplane or ship that is used for goods, vehicles, or suitcases

116.  Holystone: sandstone material used to scrape ships’ decks

117.  Hull: the part of a ship or boat that floats on the water.

118.  Hydrofoil: one of the wing-shaped pieces attached to the bottom of a hydrofoil

119.  Inboard: inside the line of a ship’s bulwarks or hull

120.  Jack: ship’s flag flown from jack-staff at bow of vessel

121.  Jack-block: pulley system for raising topgallant masts

122.  Jack-cross-tree: single iron cross-tree at head of a topgallant mast

123.  Jackstaff: short staff at ship’s bow from which the jack is hoisted

124.  Jackstay: iron or wooden bar running along yard of ship to which sails fastened

125.  Jackyard: spar used to spread the foot of a gaff-topsail

126.  Jib: small triangular sail extending from the head of the foremast

127.  Jibboom: spar forming an extension of the bowsprit

128.  Jibe: to change a ship’s course to make the boom shift sides

129.  Jurymast: mast erected on ship in place of one lost

130.  Kedge: small anchor to keep a ship steady

131.  Keel: a long thin piece of wood or metal along the bottom of a boat that helps it to balance in the water

132.  Keelhaul: to punish by dragging under keel of ship

133.  Keelson: lengthwise wooden or steel beam in ship for bearing stress

134.  Kentledge: pig-iron used as ballast in ship’s hold

135.  Lagan: cargo jettisoned from ship but marked by buoys for recovery

136.  Lanyard: a short rope used on ships for fastening things such as the sails

137.  Lastage: room for stowing goods in a ship

138.  Lateen: triangular sail rigged on ship’s spar

139.  Laveer: to sail against the wind

140.  Lazaret: space in ship between decks used for storage

141.  Leeboard: wood or metal planes attached to hull to prevent leeway

142.  Leech: a vertical edge of a square sail

143.  Loxodograph: device used to record ship’s travels

144.  Luff: windward side of a ship; forward edge of fore-and-aft sail

145.  Lugsail: four-sided sail bent to an obliquely hanging yard

146.  Lutchet: fitting on ship’s deck to allow mast to pivot to pass under bridges

147.  Mainmast: sailing ship’s principal mast

148.  Mainsail: principal sail on a ship’s mainmast

149.  Mainsheet: rope by which mainsail is trimmed and secured

150.  Mainstay: stay that extends from the main-top to the foot of the foremast

151.  Manrope: rope used as a handrail on a ship

152.  Martingale: lower stay of rope used to sustain strain of the forestays

153.  Mast: a tall pole that the sails hang from on a ship. The masthead is the top of the mast

154.  Mizzen: the mast that holds the mizzen sail or the sail behind the main sail on a ship

155.  Mizzenmast: mast aft or next aft of the mainmast in a ship

156.  Moonraker: topmost sail of a ship, above the skyscraper

157.  Muster: station a place, especially on a ship, where people should gather if there is an emergency

158.  Oakum: old ropes untwisted for caulking the seams of ships

159.  Oarlock: American the piece of metal that holds the oar of a boat

160.  Orlop: lowest deck in a ship having four or more decks

161.  Outhaul: rope used to haul a sail taut along a spar

162.  Outrigger: spar extended from side of ship to help secure mast and helps it to float

163.  Paddle: one of the long flat boards that are joined together in the shape of a wheel, used for moving a paddle boat through the water

164.  Painter: a rope attached to the front of a boat and used for tying it to something such as a post

165.  Pallograph: instrument measuring ship’s vibration

166.  Parrel: band by which a yard is fastened to a mast

167.  Patroon: captain of a ship; coxswain of a longboat

168.  Poop: the higher part at the back of an old sailing ship

169.  Port (larboard): when facing forward, the left side of a ship

170.  Porthole (scuttles): a small window in the side of a ship or airplane

171.  Primage: fee paid to loaders for loading ship

172.  Promenade: deck the upper area of a ship where people walk for pleasure

173.  Propeller: a piece of equipment with blades that spin, used for moving a ship or aircraft

174.  Prow: the front of a ship or boat

175.  Purser: ship’s officer in charge of finances and passengers

176.  Quarterdeck: part of ship’s deck set aside by captain for ceremonial functions OR the back part of a ship’s upper deck, where the officers often live

177.  Quartering: sailing nearly before the wind

178.  Rake: the inclination of a mast or another part of a ship

179.  Ratline: small rope forming a rung of a rope ladder on a ship

180.  Reef: to reduce area of a sail by rolling or folding part of it

181.  Reeve: to pass a rope through a ring

182.  Rigging: the ropes and chains used for supporting a ship’s sails and masts

183.  Roach: curved cut in edge of sail for preventing chafing

184.  Roband: piece of yarn used to fasten a sail to a spar

185.  Rostrum: spike on prow of warship for ramming

186.  Rowlock: contrivance serving as a fulcrum for an oar

187.  Royal: small sail on royal mast just above topgallant sail

188.  Rudder: a flat piece of wood or other material at the back of a boat or airplane that is moved to change the direction of travel

189.  Sail: a large piece of strong cloth attached to a tall pole on a boat, used for catching wind to move the boat across water

190.  Saloon: a big room on a ship where passengers can sit together and talk, play games, etc.

191.  Scud: to sail swiftly before a gale

192.  Scupper: hole allowing water to drain from ship’s deck

193.  Scuttlebutt: cask of drinking water aboard a ship; rumor, idle gossip

194.  Sheer: fore-and-aft curvature of a ship from bow to stern

195.  Sheet: on a sailboat, the rope that is used for controlling the sail

196.  Shrouds: ropes supporting the mast of a ship

197.  Sickbay: a room where sick people go to rest and get medical treatment on a ship

198.  Side: the edge of a boat

199.  Sidelight: colored lights on side of a ship under way at night

200.  Skeg: part of ship connecting the keel with the bottom of the rudderpost

201.  Skysail: sail above the royal sail

202.  Skyscraper: triangular sail on a ship above the royal

203.  Slipway: ramp sloping into water for supporting a ship

204.  Snotty: naval midshipman

205.  Spanker: sail on the mast nearest the stern of a square-rigged ship

206.  Spar: any ship’s mast, boom, yard, or gaff

207.  Spinnaker: an extra sail sometimes put on the front of a boat used for racing OR a large triangular sail opposite the mainsail

208.  Spirketting: inside planking between ports and waterways of a ship

209.  Sponson: platform jutting from ship’s deck for gun or wheel

210.  Sprit: spar crossing a fore-and-aft sail diagonally

211.  Spritsail: sail extended by a sprit

212.  Starboard when facing forward, the right side of a ship

213.  Starbolins: sailors of the starboard watch

214.  Stay: large rope used to support a mast

215.  Staysail: fore-and-aft sail hoisted on a stay

216.  Steerage: the part of a passenger ship in which people who had the most inexpensive tickets traveled

217.  Steeve: to set a ship’s bowsprit at an upward inclination

218.  Stemson: supporting timber of a ship

219.  Stern: back part of a ship

220.  Sternpost: main member at stern of a ship extending from keel to deck

221.  Sternway: movement of a ship backwards

222.  Stevedore: dock worker who loads and unloads ships

223.  Stokehold: ship’s furnace chamber

224.  Stowage: space for storing things in a boat or vehicle

225.  Strake: continuous band of plates on side of a ship

226.  Stunsail: light auxiliary sail to the side of principal sails

227.  Sun deck: an open area on a ship where you can enjoy the sun

228.  Supercargo: ship’s official in charge of business affairs

229.  Superstructure: the part of a ship that is above the main deck

230.  Taffrail: rail round the stern of a ship

231.  Thole: pin in the side of a boat to keep oar in place

232.  Thwart: a seat across the middle of a rowboat

233.  Tiller: handle or lever for turning a ship’s rudder

234.  Timberhead: top end of ship’s timber used above the gunwale

235.  Timenoguy: rope stretched from place to place in a ship

236.  Topgallant: mast or sail above the topmast and below the royal mast

237.  Topmast: ship’s mast above the lower mast

238.  Topsail: ship’s sail above the lowermost sail

239.  Topside: on or relating to the deck of a ship

240.  Transship: to transfer from one ship to another

241.  Transire: ship’s customs warrant for clearing goods

242.  Transom: transverse timbers attached to ship’s sternpost

243.  Treenail: long wooden pin used to fix planks of ship to the timbers

244.  Trice: to haul in and lash secure a sail with a small rope

245.  Trunnel: wooden shipbuilding peg used for fastening timbers

246.  Trysail: ship’s sail bent to a gaff and hoisted on a lower mast

247.  Tuck: part of ship where ends of lower planks meet under the stern

248.  Turret: a high part on a military ship or vehicle where guns are attached. You can turn it in order to shoot the guns in any direction.

249.  Turtleback: structure over ship’s bows or stern

250.  Unreeve: to withdraw a rope from an opening

251.  Waist: the central part of a ship or an airplane

252.  Walty: inclined to tip over or lean

253.  Wardroom: a room on a warship used by all the officers except for the captain

254.  Washboard: broad thin plank along ship’s gunwale to keep out sea water

255.  Watching: fully afloat

256.  Waterline: the highest point where water touches the side of a boat

257.  Waveson: goods floating on the sea after a shipwreck

258.  Wear: to turn a ship’s stern to windward to alter its course

259.  Weatherboard: weather side of a ship

260.  Weatherly: able to sail close to the wind with little leeway

261.  Wheelhouse: a small room on a boat where the wheel and other controls are

262.  Whipstaff: vertical lever controlling ship’s rudder

263.  Windbound: hindered from sailing by contrary winds

264.  Windlass: winch used to raise a ship’s anchor

265.  Yard: tapering spar attached to ship’s mast to spread the head of a square sail

266.  Yardarm: either end of the yard of a square-rigged ship

 

Ship Template

Name of Ship: What the ship’s name is.
Type of ship: See here for a list of types of ships.
Size of Ship: the ship’s dimensions, if other than standard for its type.
Crew: Number of crew on board, and positions.
Crew Racial Makeup: What races are aboard the ship, if applicable.
Armor: the defensive capabilities of the ship, if applicable.
Armory: the offensive capabilities of the ship, i.e. what types of canons the ship holds and the sizes, if applicable.
Cargo: What the ship’s carrying, if applicable.
Propulsion: how it gets around: e.g. wind, steam, magic, oars, etc.
Maneuverability: how easily it gets around.

Blank Ship Template

Name of Ship:
Type of ship:
Size of Ship:
Crew:
Crew Racial Makeup:
Armor:
Armory:
Cargo:
Propulsion:
Maneuverability:

D30 Ship-based / Water Hazards

1.      Calm weather: the ship can’t go anywhere because there’s not a breeze to catch the sails

2.      Lack of visibility: If you can’t see where you’re going, the ship can run aground, or you can get lost.

3.      Hot metal: The sun beating down on metal objects can cause them to become too hot to handle.

4.      Scurvy: caused by lack of nutrients. Causes teeth to fall out

5.      Airy Water: This is an area of air that is filled with bubbles that allow things that are able to breathe water are able to survive in. Most fish will avoid these areas.

6.      Slippery Surfaces: The surface of a deck. This includes such things as the ropes, wood and metal surfaces

7.      Coral Scratch: Injuries from coral don’t heal normally, and must be healed either magically or takes .

8.      Sunburn: The characters are exposed to sunlight for many hours may get burned by the sun

9.      Seasickness: The characters get ill due to the motion of the sea

10.  Poisonous marine life: catching and eating this marine life is bad for characters, causes them to be poisoned

11.  No sea legs: The character is unsteady on his/her feet on a boat

12.  Boiling Water: Underwater volcanic vents boil water in the vicinity where they form.

13.  Venomous marine life: contact with this marine life is similar to the sting of an insect.

14.  Airless Water: an area of water that is devoid of air, a dead zone, devoid of fish.

15.  Lost Islands: places that don’t show up on the maps. What’s on these lost islands, or why they’re there is up to the DMs.

16.  Whirlpool: a body of swirling water produced by the meeting of opposing currents.

17.  Inability to swim: the character either naturally has no ability to swim or has lost it for some reason (think the Devil Fruit users in One Piece)

18.  Other Ships Attack: Another ship attacks the ship the characters are on

19.  Man Overboard: A person gets swept or falls overboard for some reason

20.  Violent seas: the ship is being tossed about by bad weather / choppy seas. This includes such hazards as waterspouts.

21.  Monster attack: a giant squid, shark, or other monster attacks the ship

22.  Underwater caves: a water filled cave must be navigated by the ship (or by an underwater expedition team)

23.  Depth: the water is too deep to dive, either by the ship or characters. Even with rebreathers and SCUBA gear, characters can suffer “the bends”

24.  Drowning: not being able to breathe underwater or having magics that allow one to do so expire

25.  Hypothermia: characters get bad effects from swimming/ being exposed to cold weather/ water

26.  Currents: boats can be swept away by strong currents

27.  Fire: a fire breaks out on the ship and those aboard need to find out how to put it out (if it *can* be put out)

28.  Radiation: the ship is nuclear and has a radiation leak

29.  Shipwreck: the ship sinks and those aboard need to get off it

30.  Defiling Sludge: This sludge is a potential hazard games where all sorts of evil runs amuck. It is the remnants of vile magic that have flowed into the sea. Momentary contact with it weakens an object and continuous contact with it quickly dissolves it. It is corrosive to the flesh. The sludge can’t be easily destroyed, only driven away with such things as crystal and jade. This is the stuff that shows up in “The Pirates of Dark Water.”

Now you have some vocabulary, a template to use your ships, and some ship and water based hazards, you’ll be more equipped to send your player characters on a voyage to use ships as a dungeon.

Thanks for reading!